Vertical form/fill/seal (“VFFS”) packaging systems have proven to be useful in packaging a wide variety of food and non-food pumpable products. One example of such a system is the Onpack™ packaging system marketed by Cryovac/Sealed Air Corporation (Saddle Brook, N.J., United States of America). The VFFS process is known to those of ordinary skill in the art, and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,247 to Tsuruta et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,818 to Shimoyama et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,411 to Su; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,010 to Vogan, inter alia, all incorporated herein in their entireties by reference thereto.
In such a process, lay-flat thermoplastic film is first advanced over a forming device to form a tube. Next, a longitudinal (vertical) fin or lap seal is made, and a bottom end seal is formed by transversely sealing across the tube with heated seal bars. A pumpable product is introduced through a central, vertical fill tube to the formed tubular film. The pouch is then completed by sealing the upper end of the tubular segment, and severing the pouch from the tubular film above it. The process can be a two-stage process wherein the creation of a transverse heat seal occurs at one stage of the process, and downstream of the first stage, a separate pair of cooling/clamping means contact the newly-formed transverse heat seal to cool and thus strengthen the seal. In some VFFS processes, an upper transverse seal of a first pouch and the lower transverse seal of a following pouch are made. The pouches are then cut and thereby separated between two portions of the transverse seals without the need for a separate step to clamp, cool, clamp, cool, and cut the seals. A commercial example of an apparatus embodying the more simplified process is the Onpack™ 2050A VFFS packaging machine marketed by Cryovac/Sealed Air Corporation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,793 to Stern, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto, discloses fitment mounted on the inside wall of a pouch. The fitment offers several advantages in packaging products, such as the capability of connecting the fitment to a pumping device. The fitment further permits the contents of the package to be dispensed in a controllable manner. Packaging systems combining the Onpack™ system with the fitment technology of Stern have proven effective in providing a pouch-making system wherein a pouch containing a product includes an internal fitment. The fitment is typically near one end of the pouch to ensure that the contents of the pouch are directed, e.g., by gravity, toward and pumped from and through the fitment by a suitable pump dispensing system. One example of a method and apparatus for installing fitments of the type disclosed by Stern is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,581 to Everette, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto. An alternative system is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0111224A1 to Caudle, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.
In many industries, including quick service restaurants and the like, pumpable products are typically dispensed from relatively small stainless steel or plastic product wells. Such wells are typically manually filled by store employees, and are usually in one of two arrangements. In the first arrangement, the well is manually filled with a pumpable product, such as flavored toppings, sauces, liquid condiments of various viscosities (ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, etc.), and the like. The employee spoons out a more or less appropriate amount of the product as needed. The arrangement can sometimes be accessed directly by the customer.
An alternative arrangement includes a cover, typically made of stainless steel, having a portion control pump fitted therein. After manual filling of a well, a cover carrying or accommodating a pump is dropped onto the top of the well. The pump is conventional in nature for this application, and those skilled in the art will be familiar with the various makes and models of pumps and their operation, such that further details are not provided herein. After filling the product well and installing the cover and pump, the pump can be activated as needed, e.g., manually, to dispense a controlled portion of the product from the well, through the pump, and onto a plate, food product, container, etc.
However, the current systems for dispensing pumpable products suffer from several problems. First, product wells tend to be small in volume, typically about 0.5 gallons, such that they require frequent refilling in high-use environments. Second, refilling is accomplished by pouring the product from rigid or semi-rigid containers, such as cans or jugs. When an employee, particularly an inexperienced one, attempts a refill, the process can be untidy, as product misses the well, overflows past the top of the well, etc.
A third problem associated with conventional systems is the need to periodically clean the well. When very viscous and/or high sugar content products are being used, properly cleaning the well can be labor-intensive, time-consuming, and difficult. In addition, product freshness becomes an issue when the product is disposed in the well for an extended period of time. Product freshness issues can be aggravated by conditions where the product is dispensed at relatively high temperatures, wherein evaporation through long exposure to high temperatures significantly and adversely affects the quality of the product.
In addition, current dispensing systems have potential food safety challenges. Particularly, because current systems are generally open in nature (i.e., the cover is removed to refill the dispensed product), there is the potential for contamination resulting from the ambient environment and/or tampering. The frequent opening of current dispensing systems (i.e., when refilling the product wells) exposes the dispensed product to the outside environment. As a result, bacteria and/or other microbial contaminants can contaminate the dispensed product. In addition, because the cover can be easily removed, there is no indication to consumers or employees whether tampering of the dispensed product has occurred. Accordingly, current dispensing systems can be hazardous, exposing the dispensed product to contamination from the environment and/or from potential tampering.
Further, one disadvantage associated with the use of conventional systems stems from their orientation in use. Typically, because of the presence of a pump dip tube, a free end of which lies near the bottom of the container, the dispenser must be used in an upright fashion where the head is positioned above the product and the product extends in a direction pointing substantially straight down to the ground. This condition is dictated by the fact that the free end of the dip tube should always be immersed in the product to be dispensed in order to maintain proper function. In addition, because of the elasticity of the pouch, the risk is high for the pouch to obstruct the orifice of the dip tube. The risk is also high, depending on the thickness of the walls of the pouch, for the end of the dip tube to pierce the walls of the pouch.